Are Birds Prepared with a Turkey Airfryer just as Good as Oven-Baked Turkeys?

I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I get asked that question. It seems that when people ask that question, their assumption is that there is something awesome about oven-baked turkeys. Let me tell you as somebody who is a veteran of one failed turkey dinner after another, the conventional oven has nothing to write home about when it comes to turkey preparation. Absolutely zero. Why? Preparing a turkey using a conventional oven is really like going to Vegas. There is truly no other better analogy.

When you go to Vegas, you are hoping that when you play the roulette table, your numbers would come up. In some cases, they do. You make some money, but for the most part, you lose out. That is why Vegas hotel and casino operators are drowning in cash. That is why casino operators, by and large, are so rich. The odds are not in your favor.

Consider the typical conventional oven as the house in a casino. Almost always, you are going to lose out. Believe me, it does not really matter how well you prepared. It does not matter how meticulous you are as far as the turkey recipe that you are following. The best you can hope for is maybe a 50-50 split.

However, if you are just starting out and trying to prepare turkey, chances are you would be lucky if you get a 10% success rate. By success, of course, I mean ending up with a turkey that is nice, crispy and crunchy on the outside while having a juicy, rich and tasty interior that is cooked through. Do you see how difficult that is?

We are talking about three different conditions here. First, the exterior has to be right. It has to have the precise texture. Moreover, it cannot be dry. Sure, there are lots of crispy turkeys out there, but they are dry as paper. Not very appetizing.

Second, the interior has to be succulent. Not wet, not soft, but succulent. Meaning the meat is thoroughly cooked, but you could, nonetheless, chew through it, and it is still juicy. In other words, it is a joy to eat.

Third, the bird, as a whole, is cooked. This is actually a big victory because if you have tried your hand at cooking an 8 to 10-pound turkey, you know how difficult it is to cook that bird thoroughly without nuking the exterior. It is a delicate dance, and unfortunately, when you use a conventional oven, you are just rolling the dice. You are hoping that somehow, someway the bird comes out right.

In many cases, you really have to do a redo. That is right. You have to carve up the bird and basically heat up the slices. That is really the best-case scenario with the conventional oven.

So, do yourself a big favor. Look into getting yourself a turkey airfryer. They are not just as good as oven-baked turkeys. They produce superior quality. You can take this to the bank. Of course, this assumes that you use them properly.

Taste versus texture

While all the material above might have gotten you (justifiably) excited about using a turkey fryer with no grease for your next turkey feast, keep in mind that the right equipment can only take you so far. After all, when it comes to turkey, you are really dealing with two important factors: taste and texture. Make no mistake about it, your turkey cooker or airfyer definitely knocks the ball out of the park when it comes to texture. This leaves the other issue of taste.

You can’t automatically assume that just because you bought a turkey airfryer that your bird will come out super tasty. That’s not going to happen. You have to add the right seasoning. You might even have to experiment with marinades or skin rubs. Whatever the case may be, you can’t automatically assume that the bird will taste awesome just because its texture is on point.